Tandberg has unveiled a free video conferencing programme called 'Fly-Free', where companies will be able to book space in a video conferencing diary to connect with colleagues and partners across the world.
Bryan Thompson, Tandberg area manager for sub-Sahara Africa, says the solution will save companies time and money in terms of travelling far and for short periods, enough even to pay for the installation of a high-definition video solution.
According to Thompson, users will book their session much like booking a flight, by selecting a 'departure' and 'destination' point from a list of 35 possible locations, as well as dates and times. He says the conferencing will happen between the various Tandberg offices around the globe, of which one is in Johannesburg.
“This free limited invitation offers companies a means to not only reduce business travel, accommodation costs, and carbon footprint, but also to reduce staff downtime,” says Thompson. “Tandberg carries all the costs for these sessions, but companies are limited to only three sessions from now till the end of Q1 next year, when the offer ends.”
He adds that the package also includes a return on investment calculator to show users the estimated savings of the system.
Using video conferencing has saved the company over 21 000 metric tons of carbon emissions, over $45 million, and about 38 250 productivity hours in the past year, it says.
“On average, Tandberg's customers save over 30% in travel costs within the first year and see a payback within six months,” adds Thompson.
Video conferencing in Africa is still in its infancy, according to Thompson, but the Fly-Free programme will allow enterprises to experience the technology and he hopes they will see the benefits and savings and move towards implementing it.
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